Imagine Me Gone

Imagine Me Gone

Hardcover edition
Author	Adam Haslett
Language	English
Genre	Literary fiction
Publisher	Little, Brown and Company
Publication date	3 May 2016
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print (hardcover & paperback)
Pages	368 pp.
ISBN	978-0-316-26135-7

Imagine Me Gone is a 2016 novel by American author and novelist Adam Haslett. It concerns a couple, Margaret and John, who marry despite John's crippling depression, and is narrated by the couple and their three children. ^[1] The novel won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. It was shortlisted for the Kirkus Prize and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and longlisted for the National Book Award. ^{[2] [3]}

Reception

According to Book Marks, the book received a "rave" consensus, based on seventeen critics: twelve "rave" and five "positive". ^[4] In the July/August 2016 issue of Bookmarks , the book was rated four out of five. ^[5]

Critics particularly focused on the quality of Haslett's prose. ^{[1] [6]} Lara Feigel, writing for The Guardian called his writing "finely adapted for each of the characters". ^[6] NPR's Heller McAlpin noted how, "Haslett's signature achievement in Imagine Me Gone is to temper the harrowing with the humorous while keeping a steady bead on the pathos." ^[1]

Awards

Year	Award	Category	Result	Ref.
2016	Kirkus Prize	Fiction	Finalist
	Los Angeles Times Book Prize	Fiction	Won	[3]
	National Book Award	Fiction	Longlisted	[2]
	National Book Critics Circle Award	Fiction	Finalist
2017	Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence	Fiction	Longlisted
	Joyce Carol Oates Literary Prize	—	Longlisted	[7]
	Pulitzer Prize	Fiction	Finalist	[8]
	St. Francis College Literary Prize	—	Shortlisted	[9]

References

1. McCalpin, Heller (May 4, 2016). "Unquiet Minds Make Absorbing Reading In 'Imagine Me Gone'". NPR Books. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
2. "2016 National Book Awards". National Book Award. 2016. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
3. Schaub, Michael (April 13, 2017). "Adam Haslett, L.A. Times Book Prize finalist, discusses 'Imagine Me Gone'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
4. "Imagine Me Gone". Book Marks. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
5. "Imagine Me Gone". Bookmarks. March–April 2025. p. 32. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
6. Feigel, Lara (June 29, 2016). "Imagine Me Gone by Adam Haslett review – tragedy, loss and transcendence". The Guardian. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
7. "2017-2018 Simpson Family Literary Prize Longlist Announced". New Literary Project. Retrieved April 1, 2025.
8. "2017 Pulitzer Prizes". The Pulitzer Prizes. Retrieved April 1, 2025.
9. "SFC Literary Prize". St. Francis College. Retrieved April 1, 2025.